MachPro Global Monitoring System

Configure the Global Monitoring System

Global Monitoring is used to setup user alerts or messages as well as to control I/O functionality based on certain conditions. The system allows the machine to watch for specified conditions, and take action when those conditions are met.

To set up the Global Monitoring System go to Configuration -> Plugins -> Global Monitoring System.

Working with configured monitors

The monitoring system provides five main functions for managing monitors: Create, Delete, Duplicate, Import, and Export. 1. Create a Monitor Press the green plus (+) button. A new, unnamed alarm monitor is added to the list. The new monitor is automatically selected for editing. 2. Delete a Monitor Select the monitor you want to remove. Press the red X button. The selected monitor is deleted from the list. The system automatically selects the next monitor in the list. 3. Duplicate a Monitor Select the monitor to be duplicated. Press the two-paper icon button. A new monitor is created with all settings copied from the selected one. The duplicate appears in the list, ready for editing. 4. Import Monitors Press the downward arrow button. Select the INI file containing the monitors to import. Imported monitors are added to the list. If a monitor with the same name already exists, the system asks whether to overwrite it. 5. Export Monitors Press the upward arrow button. Choose which monitors to export. Specify a file location to save them. The selected monitors are saved to an INI file for backup or transfer. Active Monitor The monitor selected in the leftmost list is the one currently active for editing. All changes apply to the monitor highlighted in this list.

Configure Monitor Class

The monitoring system can initiate four classes of actions: Alarm, Warning, Notice, and Process.
Each class defines how the system responds to detected conditions.

1. Alarm

• Used for emergency conditions.

• Can take immediate safety actions, such as:

  • Disabling the machine.

  • Stopping all motion.

• Requires operator intervention before restarting.

2. Warning

• Used for non-critical issues that still require attention.

• Can perform various automated actions.

• Prevents Cycle Start while active.

• Alerts the operator through a visible or audible signal.

3. Notice

• Used for informational messages only.

• Takes no automatic actions.

• Displays a message to the operator for awareness.

4. Process

• Used for background control actions.

• Has the same potential actions as a Warning,
  but does not alert the operator and does not block Cycle Start.

Tip: Use Alarm for safety-critical faults, Warning for operational issues, Notice for information, and Process for silent automation tasks.

Configure Monitor Actions

After selecting the Action Class, you can define the specific action the monitor performs when it becomes active.

Primary and Secondary Actions

• Each monitor has one primary action.

• Some actions allow a secondary action.

  • Example:

    • A Warning with Action: Escalate to Alarm can trigger a chosen Alarm action after a delay.

Action Timing

• The Action Timing field defines the delay (in milliseconds) between the first and second actions.

• Example:
  If Action Timing = 5000, the secondary action runs 5 seconds after the primary action.

Repeating Actions

• You can configure the monitor to repeat actions while it remains active.

• When enabled:

  1. The monitor executes the first action.

  2. Waits for the defined Action Timing period.

  3. Executes the second action (if configured).

  4. Repeats this cycle until the monitor condition is no longer active.

Tip: Use repeating actions for persistent conditions that require continuous alerts or repeated control signals.

Custom Monitor Actions

If the standard actions do not meet your needs, you can create custom actions for the Warning and Process classes. Enabling Custom Actions In the Action List, select Custom. Click the Customize button next to the action field. This button is only active when Custom is selected. A Custom Action Editor window will open. Building a Custom Action List In the Custom Action Editor, you can define a sequence of actions that occur when the monitor activates. Steps: Select an Action Type – Choose what kind of task the monitor will perform. Fill in Action Details – Provide required parameters or settings. Press Add Action – Adds the defined action to the custom action list. Managing the Action List Reorder actions: Select an item and use the up or down arrow buttons to change its order. Remove an action: Select it and press the red X button. The monitor will execute the actions in the listed order each time it is activated.

An item can be double-clicked on to be edited, and then you should press Update Action to save your changes.

Items will be resolved sequentially in the order they appear in the list, with no pauses in between items.

Monitor Details

Most monitors display an alert when their conditions are triggered. All alert information and related settings are managed in the Details section of the monitor configuration. Alert Information The Details section controls what information appears in the alert message when the monitor activates. You can edit titles, messages, and other displayed text from this section. Password Protection You can password-protect a monitor from the Details section. When enabled: The password is required to edit the monitor. The password is also required to clear the monitor after activation. Register Output The monitor can write its current status to a register. The register includes: Enabled/Disabled state. Idle/Active state. Use this to track monitor states through external systems or scripts. Script Execution If the selected action is Execute Script, configure the script in this section. Specify the script file name with the .mcs extension. Example: MonitorAlert.mcs Disabling a Monitor You can disable the entire monitor without deleting it. A disabled monitor will: Not check its conditions. Not perform any actions. Re-enable it later to restore normal operation.

Set Monitor Conditions

A monitor will do its configured action based on the conditions that are set for it. To edit these conditions, you will need to select the Edit Conditions button. The following window will be displayed.

Monitor conditions define when a monitor becomes active.
They are organized into sets and items, which together form the logical rules that trigger a monitor.

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Structure Overview

• Sets: Groups that define the logical relationship between their items or subsets.

• Items: Individual conditions within a set.

• Subsets: Nested sets that allow complex logical combinations.

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Set Types

Each set can be one of three logic types:

Tip: Most monitors only require a single AND set.

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Adding Sets

1. Select the parent set where the new set should belong.

2. Choose the set type (AND, OR, or NOT) from the list.

3. Press Add Set.

This creates a new logic group inside the parent set.

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Adding Items (Conditions)

1. Select an item type from the dropdown menu.

2. Fill in the condition details.

3. Press Add Condition to include it in the selected set.

Example: Machine Enabled Condition

To add a condition that requires the machine to be enabled:

1. Choose Condition Type: Signal.

2. Select Output Signals.

3. Choose Machine Enabled.

4. Press Add Condition.

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Editing Sets and Conditions

• Edit a set:
  Double-click the set in the left-hand list, change the set type, then press Update.

• Edit a condition:
  Double-click the condition, modify the details, then press Update.

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Saving Changes

• Press OK to save all modifications.

• Press Cancel to discard any unsaved changes.

Save All Changes

Pressing Save will save changes to all monitors and exit config. Pressing Cancel will discard all changes and exit config.

Common GMS Templates

See the attached ini files to download and import standard GMS functions. 

SpindleWarmupBackup.ini 

If you run a file when the spindle is not warmed up, it will warm up the spindle and then go ahead and run the file. As a safety feature, you can prevent a file from starting until spindle warmup is completed to avoid this issue. 

Diagnostics Window

The Global Monitoring System icon is on most screens, and will indicate if there is currently an alarm or warning active. If there are no alarms or warnings active, then the icon will be a green checkmark. If there is an alarm or warning active, it will flash a red and yellow error triangle. Clicking on the icon will open the diagnostics window.

     

The diagnostics window will show all configured monitors and their data. The condition tree will show the state of each condition by highlighting true conditions in green. A red condition means that the condition is incorrectly configured and cannot be checked.

Alarms and warnings must be cleared to operate the machine. Pressing Reset on the operator panel will clear alarms. They can also be cleared in the diagnostics be clicking Clear All. Resetting a monitor will transition the monitor back to the idle state and reset the timers on all conditions. If the conditions on a monitor are still true, then the monitor will activate again immediately.

A monitor can be temporarily disabled here. The monitor will continue to check it's conditions and change states, but will not take any actions when it transitions out of the idle state. The monitor will re-enable itself when it transitions back to idle state or when the operator enables it again.

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MachLabs Terms and Conditions

The MachLabs Team
http://www.mach-labs.com
14518 County Road 7240, Newburg, MO 65550
support@machsupport.com 

As we are in active beta testing, please email your observations and questions. We sincerely appreciate your feedback!